Pennette al Profumo di Mediterraneo

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 350 g penne, small (pennette)
• salt water
• 1 onion(s), red, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove(s), finely diced
• 1 handful of tomatoes, dried, roughly diced
• 1 pinch of chili powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 150 g shrimp(s), small, preferably raw and with shells
• 200 g cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 can of saffron (the small tins or sachets)
• 1 cup of cream
• 8 king prawns or scampi, raw with shell
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 handful of mussels (Vongole clams), well washed
• 1 handful of mussels, well washed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove(s), roughly diced
• 1 jar white wine
• salt and pepper
• ½ bunch parsley, flat, plucked, finely chopped
• 20 basil leaves, approx., finely chopped

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

Tubular noodles with the taste and smell of the sea

Wash the king prawns or scampi, dry them, and remove their shells. Set the shells and prawns aside separately. Gently fry the onion and garlic in the oil for 5 minutes, add the sun-dried tomatoes, chili powder, the prawn or scampi shells, and the baby prawns, and fry for another 3 minutes. Remove all the shells. Add the cherry tomatoes and saffron, and bring everything to a vigorous boil. Simmer the mixture gently for another 15 minutes until it almost solidifies. Carefully scoop out the overcooked prawns with a ladle and discard them. They are only needed to flavor the sauce. Set the sauce aside. Once the sauce has cooled slightly, pour in the cream, stir, and season with salt and pepper. Fry the closed mussels in the oil with the garlic for 1 minute, pour in the wine, bring to a boil, and let them simmer, covered, for about 4-5 minutes. Remove the mussels, add the liquid from the wine to the sauce, and mix well. Discard the closed mussels, scoop out the meat from the opened ones, and add it to the cooled sauce. Finally, cook the king prawns or scampi in oil at medium heat until just cooked through, while at the same time cooking the pennette in salted water until al dente. Mix the pennette with the briefly but thoroughly heated sauce, arrange on plates, and place two king prawns or scampi on top. Mix together the parsley and basil, and serve over the plates. You can, of course, serve more scampi or shrimp with this dish; freshly prepared calamari is also a good option. Boiling the small shrimp with the scampi shells and the mussels will give the dish an intense seafood flavor.